Company Fined for Fatal Indiana Twp. Oil/Gas Well Blast
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
26 October 2010
The state Department of Environmental Protection announced today that
it has imposed a $32,000 penalty against Huntley & Huntley Inc. of
Monroeville, for the July 23 tank explosion at a gas well in which two
people died.
The civil penalty is part of a consent order and agreement to resolve
violations of the Oil and Gas Act and the Solid Waste Management Act,
according to a news release.
An oil storage tank at a company gas well site in Indiana Township
exploded, releasing small amounts of oil and other liquids and causing
the well head and nearby production facilities to catch fire. The tank
that exploded was propelled into the air, landing about 150 feet away.
Killed were Andy Yosurack Jr., 56, of Creekside, Indiana County, and
Kevin Henry, 46, of New Florence. They were employees of Northeast
Energy Management Inc. of Indiana, Pa., who were performing welding
repairs on the 210-barrel oil storage tank.
Northeast Energy Management was under contract to perform the repairs.
DEP Secretary John Hanger said Huntley & Huntley led a prompt and
effective emergency response by marshalling local fire, emergency
management and industry response teams to the scene and flying in a
specialty well control company from Texas the day of the accident.
These actions, he said in the release, helped to limit the
environmental impact of the explosion and return the site to a safe
condition.
Huntley & Huntley today issued a statement noting that the county
fire marshal concluded the accident was caused by the two Northeast
Energy Management employees.
Although Huntley officials deny the company itself caused any
violations, "solely to avoid the expense and distraction of litigation
with the DEP, Huntley has agreed to reimburse the department's
out-of-pocket costs of approximately $7,000 and pay a penalty of
$25,000. The company is in the process of seeking reimbursement for the
full $32,000" from the contractor.
Separate from the settlement, Huntley also announced it will establish
and fund a safety program to enhance training for emergency responders
involved in potential natural gas well and pipeline incidents.
"We remain saddened for the loss of Kevin Henry and Andrew Yosurack,
and continue to keep their families in our prayers," said President
Keith Mangini. "We intend to dedicate this training program in the
honor and memory of Kevin and Andrew in an effort to continually
improve safety at all aspects of oil and natural gas operations in this
region."